Date of Award

12-2011

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Specialization

Communication and Leadership

School or Department

School of Leadership Studies

First Advisor

Dr. Alexa Dare

Second Advisor

Dr. Cheryl Coan

Abstract

Although laws regulate blatant discrimination in the workplace, researchers have shown that invisible racism occurs through everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental communications. Invisible racism, in the form of microaggressions, includes subtle comments that negate or invalidate the thoughts, feelings, or experiences of a person of color. Microaggressions are words or actions that occur in communication that communicators may be unaware are a form of racism. Racial microaggressions were examined in this study through the lens of symbolic interactionism. This theory studies race as a structural category reproducing inequality, and it illuminates the influence of culture and communication "to reproduce racism and racist practices at all levels" (Musolf, 1992, p.179). This study employed a qualitative methodology, consensual qualitative research (CQR), to investigate the experiences of employees of color and their perceptions of the impact of racial microaggressions in their workplace (Sue, 2010). Twenty self-identified employees of color from a northwestern government employer voluntarily participated in this study and shared their own personal and witnessed experiences with perceived racism within their work environment. The participants indentified eight microaggression domains that relate to interpersonal communication and workplace processes, policies, and procedures. The ninth domain identified the effect of microaggressions on workplace performance, and the tenth domain identified coping mechanisms. The research provided strong support that racial microaggressions occur in the workplace and effect employee performance.

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